Roof pipe flashing with side air attic vent

ABSTRACT

A roof pipe flashing with a rectangular shaped side air attic vent attached to a partial boot with a frusto-conical wall and a flat base for exhausting air from an attic into the outer atmosphere during warm or hot seasons in order to help reduce the internal house temperature during these seasons.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the use of a roof pipe flashing for aroof vent pipe with a side air attic vent.

2. Description of the Related Art

Roof pipe flashings are conventionally used to support a vent pipeextending through and above the roof of a building. The purpose of ventpipes is to exhaust into the atmosphere undesirable air from variousin-house facilities such as bathrooms. It is also well known, duringwarm seasons of the year, to exhaust hot air from the attic of a houseor building into the outside atmosphere. There are very few structuresor devices known in the art to eliminate or ameliorate both of theseproblems from the same device. U.S. Pat. No. 9,851,115 discloses a ventsealing device 10 including a flashing 62 and an outer tube 20surrounding a vent pipe 12 wherein the outer tube 20 has breathing orventilation holes 23 in one embodiment which allow additional venting tothe sealing device 10 when needed or desired. However, this patent doesnot disclose the source of the air for which the breathing orventilation holes are used. Furthermore, the vent sealing device of thispatent is a tubular structure having a lead flashing for preventingsquirrels and other rodents from damaging it with their claws and teethquite unlike the structure and purpose of the roof pipe flashing of thisinvention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this invention is to provide an attic air exhaust outletfor a roof pipe flashing such as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat.No. 9,724,836 or for other conventional roof pipe flashings having abell-shaped boot. In order to accomplish this an air exhaust extensionis provided to a bell-shaped boot of a roof pipe flashing. The subjectmatter for the materials and partial structure of the frusto-conicalboot disclosed in the inventor's prior patent U.S. Pat. No. 9,724,836are incorporated in full herein.

A substantially rectangular extension is provided to a roof pipeflashing such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,724,836 which will befurther described in detail below. The roof pipe flashing of thisinvention is positioned around an opening in the roof of a building andaround a roof pipe extending therethrough and then secured to the roofof the building. However, the roof pipe flashing of this invention isnot limited to the structure of the U.S. Pat. No. 9,724,836 but is alsoadaptable to other bell-shaped boots of roof pipe flashings known in theart.

It is an object of this invention to remove air from the attic of abuilding especially during warm or hot seasons of the year in order tohelp reduce the internal house temperature during these seasons.

Other objects and advantages of the use of the roof pipe flashing ofthis invention will become apparent upon reading the followingdescription, of which the attached drawings form a part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the roof pipe flashing of thisinvention.

FIG. 2 is a top planar view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom planar view of FIG. 1 with a circular opening in aroof of a building.

FIG. 4 is a bottom planar view of FIG. 1 with an oval opening in a roofof a building.

FIG. 5 is a view showing positioning of the roof pipe flashing of thisinvention above an oval opening in the roof of a building.

FIG. 6 is a view showing one method of positioning and securing the roofpipe flashing of FIG. 1 to the roof of a building.

FIG. 7 is a view showing another method of positioning and securing theroof pipe flashing of FIG. 1 to the roof of a building.

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C show different shaped openings for the front filterof an attic air vent extension.

FIG. 9 is a partial, broken-away, cross sectional view of the frontfilter with a rear filter in the attic air vent extension of the roofpipe flashing.

FIG. 10 is a top schematic view of the roof of a building with a roofapex ridge and various locations for a roof pipe flashing of FIG. 1 onthe pitched shingled roof of a building.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Shown in FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the roof pipe flashing 1 ofthis invention including a partial boot 2 with a frusto-conical wall 3and an extending rectangular shaped side air attic vent 4. Thedimensions of the partial boot 2 are approximately similar to thedimensions of the raised boot 2′ described for FIG. 4 in applicant'sprior patent U.S. Pat. No. 9,724,836 except for the cutout provided inthe front section thereof for the rectangular shaped side air attic vent4 attached thereto. The dimensions of the top surface of the rectangularshaped side air attic vent 4 of this invention are approximately 3 and ½inches gradually increasing to 5 inches contiguous with the front of thefrusto-conical wall 3. The opposite side walls of the air attic vent 4are approximately 5 inches long and contiguous with the frusto-conicalwall 3 at their rear ends. The height of each of the side walls of theair attic vent 4 is approximately 1 and ½ inches. The air attic vent 4has front filter 10 which air attic vent 4 extends backwardly up to afront curved cutaway section 3 a of the frusto-conical wall 3 to providean air passageway from the attic to the outer atmosphere. Thispassageway is formed between the upper and side walls of the air atticvent 4 and the upper surface of the substantially rectangular flat base5. The partial boot 2 is also supported on the substantially rectangularflat base 5 which has an extended lip 6. The extended lip 6 has anopening 7 for inserting a nail or screw therethrough for securing theroof pipe flashing 1 to a pitched shingled roof of a building. Thepartial boot 2 has a partially enclosed upper end with an opening 9 forthe passage of a vent pipe VP therethrough. The substantiallyrectangular flat base 5 has several indentures 8 for indicating theplacement of additional nails, as needed, to further secure the roofpipe flashing 1 to the pitched shingled roof. The partial boot 2, theair attic vent 4 and the flat base 5 are preferably injection moldedtogether as a single unit and made from an elastomeric material such asthe material disclosed in the inventor's aforementioned patent U.S. Pat.No. 9,724,836. However, the component parts of the roof pipe flashing ofthis invention may also be adapted to other store available roof pipeflashings made from plastic, aluminum, hard plated tin or copper.

FIG. 2 is a top planar view of the roof pipe flashing 1 shown in FIG. 1showing the partial boot 2, the air attic vent 4 and the flat base 5.

FIG. 3 is a bottom planar view showing the partial boot 2 of thisinvention through a circular opening CO in the roof R of a building andFIG. 4 is a bottom planar view showing the partial boot 2 of thisinvention through an oval opening OO in the roof R of a building. Alsoshown in FIG. 4 is a short right-angle extension 2 a at the bottom endof the partial boot 2 for preventing rain water from entering thearcuate opening 2 b in the partial boot 2. The roof pipe flashing 1 ofthis invention is adaptable to be placed over either a circular or ovaltype opening in the roof of a building. As one having ordinary skill inthe roofing art would be aware, other shaped openings in the roof mayalso be used to accommodate the positioning of the roof pipe flashing 1of this invention on the roof of a building.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the positioning of the roof pipe flashing 1of this invention by placing it over the vent pipe VP in the roof of abuilding and thence over an oval opening OO in a pitched shingled roofPSR of a building; generally, the location of the roof pipe flashing 1of this invention is placed near the apex or attic ridge of a pitchedshingled roof PSR. A similar procedure is also done in positioning theroof pipe flashing of this invention over a circular opening CO in apitched shingled roof PSR.

The roof pipe flashing 1 of this invention may be secured to the pitchedsingled roof PSR of a building by, for example, nailing the rectangularflat base 5 onto the roof shingles as shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings.Alternatively, the roof pipe flashing 1 of this invention may be securedpartially beneath the shingles of a pitched shingled roof PSR as shownin FIG. 7 of the drawings. In either case, a nail or screw is usedthrough the lip 6 of the rectangular flat base 5 to further secure theroof pipe flashing 1 to the pitched shingled roof PSR.

Although the front opening of the air attic vent 4 may be leftunobstructed it is preferable to provide a front filter 10 to preventdebris, birds or animals from entering the front opening of the airattic vent 4 which obstacles would obstruct the flow of attic air intothe outer atmosphere. A front filter 10 a may be secured at the openingof the air attic vent 4 in the form of spaced circular holes such asshown in FIG. 8A of the drawings or a front filter 10 b in the form ofspaced slat openings such as shown in FIG. 8B of the drawings or a frontfilter 10 c in the form of spaced rectangular openings such as shown inFIG. 8C of the drawings or in the shape of other spaced geometricalopenings. The circular holes are approximately ¼ inch in diameter; thespaced slats are spaced approximately ¼ inch apart; and the rectangularopenings are approximately ¼ inch in width and height. The circularholes in the front filter 10 a have their bottom row of holes extend allthe way down to the flat base 5 (not shown) such that said bottom row ofholes are only partially contiguous with said flat base 5. The frontfilter 10 c has its bottom row of rectangular openings extend all theway down to the flat base 5 (not shown) such that said bottom row ofrectangular openings are only partially contiguous with said flat base5. The front filter 10 b has its slat shaped openings extend nearly allthe way down to the flat base 5 (not shown) in order to prevent rainwater from accumulating in the air attic vent 4. The bottom row ofcircular openings in the front filter 10 a as well as the bottom row ofrectangular openings in the front filter 10 c also extend nearly all theway down to the flat base 5 for the same reason as the slat shapedopenings. The front filters 10 a, 10 b, and 10 c may each be made froman elastomeric material (such as disclosed in the inventor'saforementioned patent), i. e., the same material as the partial boot 2,rectangular shaped air attic vent 4 and the flat base 5 are made from.To further prevent the entrance of insects such as bees from enteringthe front opening of the rectangular shaped air attic vent 4 a filterscreen 11 made from an air mesh material such as Natural Aire cleaningfilter material available from Flanders, Co. The filter screen 11 issecured in abutment with the inner side or rear side of one of theaforementioned front filters 10 such as shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings.The filter screen 11 may be secured to the front filter 10 a, 10 b or 10c by pushing it through the bottom opening in the partial boot 2 andthence trough the elongated passageway of the air attic vent 4 up to therear side of the front filter 10. The filter screen 11 is held in placeeither by the force fit thereof within the four walls of the air atticvent 4 or by any other means such as, for example, by a suitableadhesive well known in the art. The filter screen 11 is approximately ¼to ½ inch thick. Also shown in FIG. 9 is the short right-angle extension2 a previously mentioned in the description of FIG. 4.

As depicted in FIG. 10 of the drawings, several of the roof pipeflashings of this invention may be needed or used for certain houseshaving several vent pipes in which case, for example, roof pipeflashings 1, 1 are secured near the gutter G on one side of the roof Rand another roof pipe flashing 1 secured near the apex ridge AR on thesame side of the roof R. Air flow indicated by solid lines enter theattic vents 4, 4 for each of the roof pipe flashings 1, 1, then passthrough the attic indicated by the dashed lines and finally pass throughthe attic vent 4 of the roof pipe flashing 1 secured near the apex ridgeAR of the roof as indicated in FIG. 10 of the drawings. Such anarrangement of roof pipe flashings of this invention will expedite theoutflow of attic air into the atmosphere.

Although the side air attic vent of this invention is rectangularlyshaped it may also be shaped in other forms in order to provide for theescape or exhaust of attic air into the outer atmosphere.

Modifications of this invention will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art and it is intended that the invention be not limitedby the embodiments disclosed herein but that the scope of the inventionbe defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A roof pipe flashing for a shingled pitched roofof a building for providing the out-flow or exhaust of attic air to theatmosphere comprising a boot having a substantially frusto-conical wall,said boot having a semi-closed top end and a semi-closed bottom end witha roof vent pipe passing through both said semi-closed bottom end andsaid semi-closed top end, said semi-closed bottom end being larger thansaid semi-closed top end, said semi-closed top end of said boot havingan opening such as to provide a water tight frictional engagement withsaid roof vent pipe, said semi-closed bottom end having a substantiallyrectangular, elongated extension with three walls, a top wall and a pairof oppositely spaced walls connected to said top wall, said top wall andeach of said oppositely spaced walls having an end connected near saidsemi-closed bottom end of said frusto-conical wall, and said boot andsaid elongated extension are supported on a substantially rectangularflat base such that said substantially rectangular, elongated extensionprovides an open elongated attic air passageway from said boot to saidatmosphere.
 2. A roof pipe flashing of claim 1 wherein said boot, saidsubstantially rectangular, elongated extension and said rectangular flatbase form a monolithic structure.
 3. A roof pipe flashing of claim 1wherein said substantially rectangular, elongated extension has a freeend with a front edge not connected to said boot and said substantiallyrectangular flat support base has a front edge, said front edge of saidelongated extension being in vertical alignment with said front edge ofsaid flat support base.
 4. A roof pipe flashing of claim 1 wherein saidsubstantially rectangular elongated extension has an open front end witha front filter attached thereto and said front filter has pluralopenings therein with said plural openings selected from the group ofcircular openings, spaced slats and square openings.
 5. A roof pipeflashing of claim 4 wherein some of said circular openings extend nearlydown to said flat base but are only partially contiguous with said flatbase in order to prevent rainwater from accumulating within saidelongated extension.
 6. A roof pipe flashing of claim 4 wherein some ofsaid square openings extend nearly down to said flat base but are onlypartially contiguous with said flat base in order to prevent rainwaterfrom accumulating within said elongated extension.
 7. A roof pipeflashing of claim 4 wherein the bottom ends of said spaced slats extendnearly down to said flat base but are not contiguous with said flat basein order to prevent rainwater from accumulating within said elongatedextension.
 8. A roof pipe flashing of claim 4 wherein said front filterhas an air mesh filter secured behind and in abutment with said frontfilter.
 9. A roof pipe flashing of claim 1 wherein said boot, saidelongated extension and said flat base are made from an elastomericmaterial.
 10. A roof pipe flashing of claim 1 wherein said boot, saidelongated extension and said flat base are made from metallic material.11. A roof pipe flashing of claim 1 wherein said substantiallyfrusto-conical wall has a short right-angle extension at saidsemi-closed bottom end of said substantially frusto-conical wall andadjacent said substantially rectangular, elongated extension.
 12. Atleast one roof pipe flashing of claim 1 in combination with a pitchedshingled roof having a gutter and an apex ridge, one of said roof pipeflashings being secured near said gutter of said roof and another ofsaid roof pipe flashings being secured near said apex ridge in order toincrease the out-flow of attic air to the atmosphere.
 13. The roof pipeflashing of claim 12 wherein there are two spaced roof pipe flashingsnear said gutter and one roof pipe flashing near said apex ridge.